Now that Colombia is in the Round of 16 at the World Cup, what’s the ceiling for Los Cafeteros? Look up. It could be that the sky is the limit. Colombia dominated Group C, winning all three of its games, racking up nine points, scored nine goals while allowing only two, and demonstrating that it is one of the top teams in the world.

Uruguay, the runner-up in Group D, is Colombia’s opponent in the knockout round, and they will meet Sunday in Rio de Janeiro. Chances are that Uruguay may have its hands full.

A new batch of stars is emerging for Colombia, featuring the electrifying James Rodriquez and also Juan Guillermo Cuadrado. Rodriguez, better known simply as James, is making up for the absence of the injured Radamel Falcao, his teammate on the French club, AS Monaco.

At 22, James may be the best young player in the World Cup. And if Colombia is going to advance further than its best previous World Cup finish – the quarterfinals in 1990 – James could very well make the difference.

Here’s another World Cup difference-maker. And you can score too with Xoom, the easiest way to send money to Colombia.

Argentina’s march through the World Cup continues with its final Group F match, against Nigeria, in Port Alegre, Brazil.

But you can be sure that Argentina is already looking ahead to the Round of 16, a ticket that Argentina has already punched with a 1-0 victory over Iran. And yet the race is not yet over. Argentina has six points and leads Group F, but Nigeria can say something about that and remains in the conversation with four points. While Argentina was edging Iran, Nigeria was doing the same with a 1-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

So the top two teams in Group F collide, a meeting of Argentina scoring star Lionel Messi and the team-oriented defensive front of Nigerian Coach Stephen Keshi. Messi has scored a goal in both Argentina games while Nigeria has not allowed a goal in its two previous games.

Looking ahead to the knockout round, the Group F winner would play the second-place team from Group E, and that spot is far from decided, either France, Ecuador or Switzerland. And that Group F runner-up will play the Group F winner – France now leads.

Colombia added to its rich soccer history, reaching the World Cup knockout round with a 2-1 victory over the Ivory Coast – combined with some good fortune. When Japan and Greece played to a scoreless draw in Natal, Brazil, it meant Colombia would advance from Group C to the round of 16 for only the second time in its World Cup history and for the first time in 14 years.

The pitch in Brasilia, Brazil, was littered with good news for Colombia. For the first time in its five appearances in the World Cup – 1962, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2014, Colombia won two matches. And it’s the first time Colombia has reached the round of 16 since 1990.

But it wasn’t easy against a challenging Ivory Coast team. It took goals from two left-footed kickers to put Colombia on the right foot. The victory required second-half goals from Juan Quintero and the eventual game-winner from James Rodriguez to move on.

He’s the world’s best player and he’s Argentina’s brightest star, but that doesn’t mean Lionel Messi doesn’t have anything to worry about. Because he does. Messi is still in the shadow of the great Maradona, who almost single-handedly delivered a World Cup victory for Argentina in 1986. Messi needs a World Cup to prove his status on the biggest stage in football. He just moved a step closer.

“I know I have a responsibility, especially as captain, to the people of Argentina, but I try not to let the pressure get to me,” Messi said recently.

But the pressure is real. Argentina flamed out in the quarterfinals in the last two World Cups, in 2006 and 2010, and they desperately need the 26-year-old Messi, their goal-scoring machine, to come through. Messi scored only one goal in those two disappointing World Cups, but scoring hasn’t been much of problem for him – at least in qualifying. He had 10 goals in 14 games leading up to the World Cup.

And Messi did not disappoint from his position in the spotlight in Argentina’s World Cup Group F opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina, scoring what turned out to be the winning goal in the 65th minute of a 2-1 Argentine victory.

Radamel Falcao has been the star player for Colombia. But at the World Cup, center-forward Falcao has a different role. He’s the star cheerleader. Because he tore a knee ligament and had surgery in January, Falcao can’t play in Brazil, but he can encourage his Colombian teammates on the sideline.

Veteran former captain Luis Perea is also injured and will join Falcao on the sideline. They must have liked what they saw in Colombia’s first match.

Earning a reputation for fielding its best group of attackers in years, Colombia got off to a quick start in its first Group C match with a 3-0 victory over Greece. And Colombia still has a scoring star besides Falcao – Teofilo Gutierrez, who contributed a goal against Greece and is a danger whenever he’s in contact with the ball.

Relentlessly aggressive, Colombia, is just as strong when it doesn’t have the ball.

Coach Jose Pekerman said it’s obvious Colombia would like to have Falcao healthy and playing, but that’s not the reality. “We want to look forward,” Pekerman said.

Dominicans can now send money with Xoom.com directly to a bank account at Banco Popular Dominicano within 15 minutes

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, April 9, 2014 – Xoom Corporation (NASDAQ: XOOM), a leading digital money transfer provider, today announced that Banco Popular Dominicano is offering Xoom’s fast deposit services to the bank’s checking and savings accounts in usually less than 15 minutes to the Dominican Republic. With the addition of Banco Popular Dominicano, Xoom expands its cash pickup network in the Dominican Republic to 576 locations, including Banco BHD, Caribe Express and Banco del Progreso. Xoom and Banco Popular Dominicano also offer Cash Pickup at more than 200 locations across the island.

“Banco Popular Dominicano and Xoom are committed to providing innovations that bring more convenience to our customers and their loved ones,” said Julian King, Xoom’s Senior Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Development. “By adding Banco Popular Dominicano to our network, we are providing customers more options when sending money to the Dominican Republic, and a seamless experience for both the sender and recipient.”

Dominicans will be able to receive their money faster, since they will be able to withdraw the funds from their Banco Popular Dominicano account anytime at more than 700 ATMs across the island. Traditionally, Dominicans receive money through home delivery or cash pickup during business hours. This new faster option gives them access to their money during evening hours, weekends and holidays through the Banco Popular Dominicano ATM network.

“Xoom is an exciting partnership for Banco Popular Dominicano,” said Francisco Ramírez, Banco Popular Dominicano’s Marketing Vice President. “Xoom shares our vision in providing a faster way for sending and receiving money in the Dominican Republic. The innovative bank deposit service makes money available for withdrawal at any of our ATMs in usually less than 15 minutes.”

Xoom customers can send money to the Dominican Republic any time from Xoom.com by clicking here: www.xoom.com/banco-popular. The site is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, from any internet-connected device. Banco Popular Dominicano processes bank deposits seven days a week, 23 hours a day. For customers who prefer cash pick up, Banco Popular Dominicano branch locations are open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and Sunday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Spanish Language App and SMS Text Alerts
Last year, Xoom announced that it is the first pure-play remittance provider to offer a Spanish-language App for Android and iOS phones. The Xoom App is unique in its simplicity, allowing Xoom customers to complete a quick send money transfer to their recipient with “one tap and one swipe.” This slide-to-send technique allows Xoom customers to send a money transfer to an existing recipient in just seconds.

Xoom offers customers a Spanish-language experience on its mobile App, their desktop and mobile sites and their 24-hour customer care center.

In addition to fast and simple money transfers on the go, Xoom customers can use the App to track the status of their money transfer as their money moves to their loved ones. Other key features of the Xoom App include the ability to review Xoom’s low fees, check exchange rates, contact customer service and access links to other Xoom services.

About XoomXoom is a leading digital money transfer provider in 31 countries, focused on helping consumers send money in a secure, fast and cost-effective way using their mobile phone, tablet or computer. During the year ended December 31, 2013, Xoom’s more than one million active customers sent more than $5.5 billion to family and friends. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and can be found online at Xoom.com.

About Banco PopularBanco Popular Dominicano is the first bank in the capital of the Dominican Republic, and is a leader in commercial banking and financial services in the country. In 2011, it generated assets of RD $205.553 million (about U.S. $5.265 million and € 4.000 million). Constituted in 1963, Banco Popular opened its doors in Santo Domingo, January 2, 1964. It has 200 branches and more than 700 ATMs across the country.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, January 27, 2014 – Xoom Corporation (NASDAQ: XOOM), a leading digital money transfer provider, has introduced three new television commercials for the U.S. Hispanic market. The ads began airing this month and all speak to the message of mobile convenience.

The first commercial, entitled “Pony,” shows Oscar at a child’s birthday party that offers a pony ride. When his mom calls saying she needs money right away, Oscar desperately tries to get to a store to transfer money by jumping on the pony. He rushes to the store, only to find it closed, while his wife, Olivia, conveniently sends money from her mobile phone with one swipe of her finger. “Pony” can be viewed on Youtube.

The next two spots, “Confusion” and “Piece of Paper,” promote Xoom’s innovative text message service for the recipient. Xoom will send a text message, free of charge, to the recipient with the transaction PIN number, so that the recipient has fast and easy access to their money without the risk of miscommunication and error.

“Confusion,” features Oscar, on the phone with his mother, unsuccessfully trying to recite a long transaction number over the phone that she needs to pick up money. The bad phone connection makes communicating the number clearly a challenge. His wife, Olivia, reminds him by shouting from the kitchen, “Next time, use Xoom.com. They will send the PIN directly to her phone.” “Confusion”ad can be viewed on Youtube.

In “Piece of Paper,” the wind blows away Oscar’s piece of paper with the PIN number on it and he finds himself chasing after the dog that captured the paper. The spot humorously shows the inconvenience of having the PIN on a piece of paper that can easily get lost or misplaced. “Piece of Paper” ad can be viewed on Youtube.

“With these three new spots, we demonstrate the convenience of sending money with Xoom.com on a mobile phone and how it can save you time,” says Julian King, Xoom’s Senior Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Development. “The commercials deliver the message of mobile convenience with likeable characters in a way that resonates with customers. Using Xoom.com is magical and transformative. It offers senders an experience that is convenient, fast, safe, fairly priced and it frees them up to do other important things in their life.”

“The Xoom ‘Better Way’ campaign launched in November 2011 and there have been more than a dozen commercials produced for this campaign in the last two years,” King added.

In fall, 2012, Xoom won the gold from the ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards for “Save the Pigs,” as best campaign developed to reach Hispanic consumers.

“Pony,” “Confusion” and “Piece of Paper” are the latest television ads from Xoom targeting the Spanish-language audience. The commercials are currently running on major Spanish-language television.

About XoomXoom is a leading digital money transfer provider, focused on helping consumers send money in a secure, fast and cost-effective way using their mobile phone, tablet or computer. During the 12 month period ended September 30, 2013, Xoom’s more than 997,000 active customers sent more than $5.1 billion to family and friends in 30 countries. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and can be found online at Xoom.com.